The Second Lunar Eclipse
by Imanster
Summary: And the world slept for the last time.


The Second Lunar Eclipse  
**P R O L O G U E**

Midnight.

The last machine in Kiel Khayer's Doll Factory in Einbroch chugged slowly to a halt. _Thackataka-takatakak-thackathak-thack-thack…thack………thack._

It was a welcome sound to Pastor Alexandros, the last of the tenders of Mr Khayer's factory. A sound of retirement, a sound of peace.

He smiled and wondered if Mr Khayer would ever visit him some time. He shrugged the idea off and tried to convice himself the the kind old man, twenty years ahead of him, was already dead. Pastor hadn't seen the man since he mysteriously disappeared thirty years ago leaving the doll factory to the twelve workers. Twelve workers where all but Pastor had already retired. Some had died of old age, some simply walked out the gate and never returned.

What's the difference anyway?

He lay his sixty five-year old body on the same old cold bed in his room somewhere inside the old factory. He switched off the old-fashioned lamp the way he had done a million times, closed his eyes, and let sleep embrace his tired body once more.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Winter wolves of Lutie used to scare little Lysa as a child. Those horrible, distant hair raising howls kept her awake for hours throughout the night, and would only sleep if mother was beside her. Mother would sing a lullaby, and the howls would go away.

Now twenty-year old Lysa downed two sleeping pills from the orange metal canister she had bought from skilled alchemists of Alberta. She sat on her bed.

"Bastard," she muttered upon the thought of the man he used to love. There are far more scarier monsters than wolves, she believed so. She was three months pregnant, left alone right after her lover found out. Being alone and pregnant is far more scarier. "Fucking bastard."

She was bearing a baby inside her. Sometimes, she would wonder if her little child would call her name in the middle of the night because of those howls too… maybe yes, the way little Lysa used to do. Maybe not, maybe not. Her baby's gonna be a brave warrior. Brave and not foolish (like her).

She dismissed the thought because that only made her sadder than ever.

The pill slowly took effect and the next minute, she was asleep. The light was still on, and she left the cold water running down the sink. The next morning, she would wake up and realize that the floor was flooded. Lysa would curse under her breath, but she would have no idea that there would more trouble ahead. Not just a flooded floor.

_Not just that._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the Satellite City of Izlude, a knight wannabe left home and ended up as a premature trainee penniless and homeless sitting on a public bench near the port by the sea. "Cool," he said as he watched the fog that came out of his mouth everytime he breathes. It was a cold night. A very cold night. "Haha," he laughed at the thought that he could actually see his breath. "I am alive."

Gabriel could see the bright moon. It was like the sun, only in the middle of a black sky with little stars. The poor boy opened his bag and pulled out an old thick blanket. He wrapped the blanket around his body and he felt hugged… and loved. The last thing he saw was the invisible horizon, as black as death.

He closed his eyes. The poor homeless young man slept on a green public bench unaware that he was about to be alone forever.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In a neighboring Capital City Prontera, perverted young Max just got home from a date. He was in a very bad mood.

"You should stop trying getting under your ladies' pants, young man," his elder brother would say to frustrated perverted Max everytime he barged into the room they have been sharing for years. "It's not entirely your fault you're not having sex."

Max did not make a comment, not tonight. He fell to his bed without even changing his clothes. He couldn't sleep. Sex, sex, sex. He was turning twenty next month yet he hadn't taken a shot of that interesting little deed.

Twenty and a virgin, it was a horrible thought for him. He slid his hands under his own pants and started masturbating 'til he went kingdom come. All his frustrations slowly faded to the back of his consciousness the way human pleasure never lasted. He was done, his elder brother, pretending to be asleep in the bed three meters away thought. Little bro's done, and he's knocked off to another dimension.

Elder brother closed his eyes, and he pretended to be asleep until he actually did.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around 350,000 kilometers above the earth, the moon was alive. But a strange shadow was eating the bright heavenly body. A traveler on an orange PecoPeco wondered, "what the hell is going on?"

A Lunar Eclipse. It was the earth's shadow blocking the light from the sun.

The occurrence awed the traveler. It must be a miracle, he watched with great amusement. It must be a goddamn miracle. The PecoPeco was ordered to halt and the traveler settled in the middle of the vast Sograt desert. He made a quick campfire and spread thick sheets on the blue-shaded sand. Lying down, he was still staring at the miracle happening above him.

He watched innocently, unaware that the next morning, total chaos would devastate humanity the way the earth's shadow was eating the moon that night.

Nobody knew. The world was asleep for the last time.


End file.
